NFL waiver wire – Syndication Server

Why did Bengals add rookie and attempt to claim Pro Bowler?

The Bengals made one move and attempted more on the waiver wire. Here’s why.

The Cincinnati Bengals got busy on the waiver wire this week, adding one player and attempting to add another while looking at both sides of the ball.

Now, the question is simple—why?

After sitting out of the trade deadline, why make moves at problems of need now, and with these players?

WR Isaiah Williams

The Bengals were awarded Williams off waivers from the Detroit Lions. He’s a 5’10” rookie with some interesting versatility to play in base offense and return kicks on special teams.

While some might point to the Jermaine Burton drama as a reason for this move, it likely pertains more to Charlie Jones. While one of the most dangerous returners in the league when healthy, Jones is once again on the shelf with an injury. A groin injury prevented him from practicing all week. They need guys to soak up reps in practice, if not get on the field during games.

DE Yannick Ngakoue

The Bengals were one of just two teams to put in a claim on Ngakoue, the veteran who was just waived by Baltimore. But New England had higher priority, so they didn’t get him.

This one will frustrate fans. Rather than find a deal they liked at the trade deadline, the Bengals waited and hoped to find help on the wire. They need rotational depth because for whatever reason, former first-rounder Myles Murphy isn’t playing all that much.

What’s it mean?

Expect the Bengals to use the wire again soon in the near future. If nothing else, the team can acknowledge the needs, just like the trade for a running back, even if it feels like a case of too little or too late.

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Bengals claim former Lions player on waiver wire after Week 10

The Bengals claimed a player on the waiver wire.

The Cincinnati Bengals swiped a player from the waiver wire on Friday after the team’s Week 10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

There, the team added wide receiver Isaiah Williams, who was just released by the Detroit Lions the day prior.

Undrafted out of Illinois, Williams was a success story in Detroit as he surged up the depth chart and made the initial 53-man roster.

A 5’10” weapon with skills as a returner on special teams, this addition for the Bengals probably says more about the injury status of Charlie Jones than it does about Tee Higgins.

Either way, the Bengals aren’t totally opposed to adding outside talent and wide receiver continues to be a notable injury spot to watch on the roster.

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NFL waiver wire order provides Bengals small silver lining

The NFL waiver wire order has changed and gives the Bengals some help.

There aren’t many major silver linings for the Cincinnati Bengals after the 0-3 start.

But the waiver wire might be one of them.

With the calendar turning to Week 4, the waiver wire order changes away from 2024 NFL draft order to actual leaguewide records order.

Meaning, the Bengals slot near the very top in waiver priority:

T-1. Jaguars
T-1. Titans
3. Bengals
4. Browns
5. Bears

The Bengals could certainly use the help after a bruised and battered defensive line played a huge part in the defense coughing up 38 points and forcing zero punts to a rookie passer on Monday night.

Cincinnati would need to perform some roster gymnastics to bring on outside talent at this point, but it might be worth it as the long-term view starts to come into the picture, too.

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NFL waiver order resets, Jaguars take share of top spot

The Jaguars and Titans, both 0-3, own a 50% share of the No. 1 spot on the NFL’s waiver order, which was reset Tuesday to reflect team records in 2024.

The list will be updated weekly and includes tiebreakers such as strength-of-schedule-score and conference records.

The order previously matched every team’s original picks in the 2024 NFL draft. Jacksonville owned the No. 17 slot.

Jacksonville has not made a waiver claim since June 7 when the club added former Indianapolis Colts offensive lineman Jack Anderson. The Jaguars released Anderson on June 12.

Find the top 17 teams on the NFL waiver order for Week 3 below, reported by Bernd Buchmasser of Pats Pulpit and including only losing teams.

t-1. Tennessee Titans (0-3; 0.556 SOS)

t-1. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3, 0.556)

3. Cincinnati Bengals (0-3, 0.667)

4. Cleveland Browns (1-2, 0.222)

5. Chicago Bears (1-2, 0.333)

t-6. Dallas Cowboys (1-2, 0.444)

t-6. Las Vegas Raiders (1-2, 0.444)

t-6. Los Angeles Rams (1-2, 0.444)

t-9. Baltimore Ravens (1-2, 0.556)

t-9. Indianapolis Colts (1-2, 0.556)

t-9. New England Patriots (1-2, 0.556)

t-9. Carolina Panthers (1-2, 0.556)

t-13. Arizona Cardinals (1-2, 0.667)

t-13. San Francisco 49ers (1-2, 0.667)

t-13. New York Giants (1-2, 0.667)

t-16. Atlanta Falcons (1-2, 0.889)

t-16. Denver Broncos (1-2, 0.889)

Bengals swipe AFC North rival’s promising player in practice squad addition

The Bengals took from a rival while getting a high-upside player.

The Cincinnati Bengals swiped a division rival’s player during the waiver wire and practice squad process this past week.

There, the Bengals added defensive end Isaiah Thomas, formerly of the Cleveland Browns, to the practice squad.

Thomas, a seventh-rounder in 2022 by the Browns, appeared in 10 games as a rookie and recorded a sack over 162 snaps. At 6’5″ and 270 pounds with good length, he looks like an every-down player the coaches would like to develop.

Considering Thomas came over from the Browns, which is annually one of the league’s deepest depth charts on the edge, there’s perhaps more there for the Bengals to develop than most signings of this nature.

And for Thomas and his reps, the Bengals surely made for an interesting opportunity with former first-rounder Myles Murphy going to injured reserve and a sixth-rounder, Cedric Johnson, making the final roster as a result.

With Sam Hubbard getting up there in age (29), the recent Trey Hendrickson contract drama and Joseph Ossai on the last year of his current deal, these are the types of low-key signings that could pay off big for the team at a later date.

That it came at the expense of an in-state and division rival like the Browns is something that will move the needle with fans, too.

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How former Bengals fared during final cuts, waiver wire

A look at how former Bengals players did during the flurry of leaguewide roster moves.

Former Cincinnati Bengals players were all over the transactions lists this week as the NFL made final cuts, formulated final 53-man rosters and made waiver wire claims.

Some are more notable than others, of course, like Samaje Perine joining the Kansas City Chiefs.

But here’s a quick rundown of all the former notable Bengals on the move:

LB Markus Bailey: Cut by Arizona, signed to practice squad
DT Josh Tupou: Cut by Baltimore
OL La’el Collins: Cut by Buffalo
DE Khalid Kareem: Cut by Chicago
DE Carl Lawson: Cut by Dallas, signed to practice squad
LB Nick Vigil: Cut by Dallas, signed to practice squad
DE Raymond Johnson III: Cut by Jacksonville
TE Irv Smith: Cut by Kansas City
QB Will Grier: Cut by Philadelphia, signed to practice squad
WR John Ross: Cut by Philadelphia
G/T Max Scharping: Cut by Philadelphia, signed to practice squad in Washington
TE C.J. Uzomah: Cut by Philadelphia
WR Trent Taylor: Cut by San Francisco, signed to practice squad
RB Samaje Perine: Cut by Denver, signed by Kansas City

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Bengals add former Cowboys DT to practice squad

The Bengals add another notable name to the practice squad.

The Cincinnati Bengals announced just 12 players on their initial practice squad on Wednesday after final cuts.

According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, the Bengals will add a 13th with defensive tackle Justin Rogers.

Rogers, a seventh-round rookie selected 244th overall by the Cowboys this year, surprisingly, wasn’t one of the names on Dallas’ practice squad after final cuts.

The Bengals loading up on the defensive interior makes sense with rookie
McKinnley Jackson working his way back from an injury. The team already went lighter there on the initial 53, too.

Defensive line help as a whole has been a theme for the Bengals over the last two days — the team’s only claim on the waiver wire helped them fill out depth on the edge now that Myles Murphy is on injured reserve.

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Raiders claim 2 off waivers after roster cuts

Waiver claims have come through and with the 13th spot in the waiver order, the Raiders landed two of them.

The Raiders have claimed safety Thomas Harper off waivers from the Chargers and defensive tackle Jonah Laulu off waivers from the Colts.

Harper is an undrafted rookie out of Notre Dame. He had played at Oklahoma State for four years before that. He had one pass breakups and two special teams tackles this preseason.

Laulu was a seventh round pick by the Colts last April out of Oklahoma. The 6-5, 292-pounder had 8.5 sacks of the past two seasons for the Sooners. He had four combined tackles this preseason.

The Raiders will need to make two roster moves in order to make room for the additions of Harper and Laulu.

Bengals claim one player on waiver wire after final cuts

The Bengals make a claim on the waiver wire after final cuts.

The Cincinnati Bengals predictably used the waiver wire to get some reinforcements along the defense line on Wednesday.

Cincinnati used their standing on the post-final cuts wire to put a claim in on defensive end K.J. Henry, formerly of the Washington Commanders.

A fifth-round pick in 2023, Henry hailed from Clemson, where current Bengals defensive line coach Marion Hobby used to be, too, making for the obvious connection.

The Bengals needed all the help they could get on the edge after final cuts with former first-rounder Myles Murphy on injured reserve alongside Cam Sample and with Jeff Gunter retiring.

Now, the only question is whether the Bengals use the next week or so to again add to the position in the name of keeping a deep rotation over the first month of the season.

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Lions bring back local LB on a successful waiver wire claim

The Cardinals waived Nowaske and the Lions claimed him, after Arizona did that to the Lions last year

The NFL’s waiver claim process was completed at 12 p.m. ET on August 28th, a day after the initial 53-man roster cutdowns completed. This is a chance for teams to claim other players with less than four years of NFL service who were waived in the past days.

The Detroit Lions landed one player on a waiver claim. It’s a familiar one: linebacker Trevor Nowaske. The Saginaw Valley State alum was on the Lions last year as an undrafted rookie before being claimed off waivers midseason by the Arizona Cardinals.

Holding the No. 29 spot in the waiver wire, which is based on the pre-trade NFL draft order from April, left the Lions as longshots to land anyone with claims. Even if the Lions put in a claim on an eligible player, any of the 28 teams above them in the claim order would get that same player over Detroit if they also put a claim on him.

Detroit was the first team in the line who put in a claim on Nowaske, who joins a crowded LB room in Detroit.

There were a total of 26 players claimed around the league.